Tuesday, March 31, 2015

The many animals across the world need our help and commitment to stop cruelty and abuse. I have always been an animal lover because animals express such amazing devotion to us as humans and they are excellent companions and friends. An issue that is near and dear to my heart is promoting animal rights. Animal abuse and neglect needs to stop so that animals do not have to live in fear for their safety and for their lives. I firmly believe that all animals should be treated fairly and with the compassion that they deserve.

We have the responsibility to look out for the well-being of innocent animals because they do not have a voice to speak for themselves. Abuse and violence against human beings is wrong, not to mention illegal, so why should cruelty against animals be any different? Over the years, there have been very diligent efforts made by animal rights organizations and volunteers. However, there is still much work that needs to be done to ensure that we can protect as many animals as possible.

Animal cruelty exists in many forms. It is important to know about these types of illegal activity so that they can be reported, so that these animals can be removed from a dangerous situation, and so that other innocent animals do not suffer. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), an animal is abused every 60 seconds. One type of abuse and animal neglect is animal hoarding which includes having an unusually high number of animals in a household. When this results in an inability of the human caregivers or owners to provide the basic needs of proper shelter, food, and veterinary care for the animals, it becomes a case of animal hoarding.

This neglect can lead to these innocent animals falling ill, becoming severely malnourished, and eventually dying from the neglectful treatment. While many animal hoarders suffer from mental illness and believe they are helping to shelter animals by keeping them off the street, it is important to call a local animal shelter, animal welfare group, or veterinarian to help the animals and the owners from continuing to live in this type of harmful environment. The animals really suffer and need our help so that they can be healthy, happy, and receive the care that they need.

Illegal dog fighting is another example of animal cruelty and it needs to stop because helpless dogs are forced to fight other dogs, even if it leads to severe injuries or death. These fights often take place on street corners or in other public areas, and horrible and cruel people make up the audiences that gather to watch this activity. Many different dogs, including an increasing amount of pit bulls, are bred to be aggressive and they are often beaten and starved in order to encourage and instill violent tendencies in their minds. Animals should be protected, loved, and cared for as “man’s best friend,” and this abusive dog fighting is yet another example of a brutal act that undermines our duty to look out for these innocent creatures and their best interests.

Please check out this inspirational video that talks about the story of a wonderful dog named Miley that suffered horrible neglect, but overcame her past and now lives a happy life. I hope that this video helps prove to you that animals can indeed triumph, move on from the effects of abuse, and have a happy ending to their journey: http://www.rightthisminute.com/video/update-miley-huskie-finds-loving-home

There are many animal shelters that house dogs, cats, and other household pets that have been abused, neglected, or surrendered by their owners. The shelters have animals with many different background stories and life histories. Some animals were the helpless victims of the activities mentioned above; many were shot, beaten, or abandoned in the street by the very people that were supposed to love and care for them. According to the Humane Society, between 6 and 8 million dogs and cats enter animal shelters each year. Of these, about 3 to 4 million are euthanized simply because there are not enough people adopting and the shelter does not have enough space to house all of the animals.

These animals need our help so that they can live a great life. Think about it---why would you make the decision to buy a pet instead of adopting an innocent dog or cat from an animal shelter so that they can have a loving home and a chance at life? Shelter animals can be very loving pets and they are often very well-behaved and grateful to be taken in by a loving family. Without a happy home, many of these animals live in fear and are scared every day that they will be harmed further. These animals need a voice, they need a fighting chance, they need you. Please check out this video about shelter animals. It is my hope that you will develop a better understanding of how badly these animals need our help. Please consider adopting a pet in need: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_9iKAvSybQ

Also, please take a look at the sweet, adorable dog below. I found his incredible story on the Huffington Post’s website. His name is Dozer and he was shot. He survived by taking shelter underneath a porch for several days before he received any medical attention. His bullet wound was severely infected and he required month’s worth of hospital stays and emergency surgeries to heal. With the help of the Trio Animal Foundation in Chicago, as well as countless hours and dedication from a caring veterinary staff, Dozer made a full recovery. He has found his forever home as he was adopted by one of the veterinary technicians who helped care for him. He is much happier now that he is receiving the love and dedication that he deserves.

As you can see, abused animals, including dogs, cats, and other household pets, need our help. Please stand up for the rights of animals everywhere. You can donate your time by volunteering at your local humane society or animal welfare organization. Monetary donations to the Humane Society or the ASPCA are always appreciated and will be put towards stopping abuse and neglect. In regards to your own pets, the Humane Society recommends that you spay or neuter all animals and make sure they always wear an identification tag. In addition, you can educate your family, friends, neighbors, and community by informing them of the issues that need our attention and letting them know how they can help as well.

It is important to report animal abuse or neglect to the appropriate authorities. According to the Michigan Humane Society’s website, to report animal cruelty in Detroit, Hamtramck, or Highland Park, you can call the Michigan Humane Society's Cruelty Hotline at 313-872-3401. You can leave a voice mail message after hours and you can remain anonymous. However, it is still important to give sufficient information in regards to the type of animal being abused, the situation, and the street address if known. This way, the animal will have a greater chance of being helped and the abuse can stop. For residents living in other areas, it is important to call your local animal control or police department to report animal cruelty or neglect. We need to be the voices for animals and take a stand against the abuse.

I think it is time for us all to step up more and take a stand against the harmful treatment of animals. Why would any of us stand by and allow such vicious cruelty to occur at the expense of these poor, innocent animals? We need to be the advocates and protectors of our animal friends. Sitting by and doing nothing is not an option. There are too many ways to get involved. Volunteer, donate, adopt, educate—these are all options. Animals have long been our companions and allies---it is time for us to return the favor and look out for the very animals that have provided us with the most beautiful acts of unconditional love, loyalty, and devotion. We owe them that much and more, please go out there and support the rights of animals in any way that you can---our animal friends will thank you!

Over time, man has lost touch with the way of things. Hunters and gatherers, self-reliance was the way. Nowadays, we rely on chemical injected food and grocery stores. Poorly treated animals and screens on electronics.

What ever happened to the thrill of the kill? A fair fight between beasts? Is man devolving? What will happen when the world turns back and we must rely once again on ourselves?

The earth grows our food and products for housing. As we grow, we die, and when we die, we return to the earth and create more growth for the plants and creatures of the world.

Here is a blog I run on a book written on nature. Many of the quotes I find create an enlightened thought storm in my mind.

http://1935mindset.blogspot.com

If human had more faith in humanity, then animals and plants would not be going extinct at such an alarming rate. We would do the easy tasks of polluting less and perhaps even finding more peace of mind.

Monday, March 30, 2015

The blog that I found was, http://www.theenvironmentalblog.org/. This blog discuses different ways for people to live a heath and taking care of the environment. Two of the biggest topics discussed on the blog are Green Technology and Energy. Estel M. the author of the blog uses different strategies to engaged with her reader's. The first strategy she uses is consensus. For example, she posted a blog about Brazil and how they emphasized new healthier guidelines for eating. By her sharing what Brazil is doing it may persuade the the FDA might to the same. She also uses liking. Her blog has gained quite a following so people have become very fond of her posts. Then she uses scarcity in another post. For example, she talks about an Eco-Friendly oil spill.

Adolescent literacy needs are now more than ever coming to
the forefront of our society because of the fast-paced and literacy centered
age human beings are currently in. As of right now adolescents are bombarded with
material that is antiquated and lacks the necessary elements to create
connections and foster reading among adolescents of any outlier when it comes
to culture, class status, sexuality or ethnicity.

The literature in question is not diverse enough or modern
enough to provide accurate morals, themes, and characters for inner city
adolescents to attach themselves to and because of this adolescents reject the
idea of finding something useful within academia, thus rejecting reading
itself. This material includes the classics, books considered highly coveted by
the English community and at large the world, works such as The Great Gatsby,
Of Mice and Men, and To Kill A Mockingbird. These novels while inspiring are
limiting in terms of representation. Within all three texts the protagonists
are white, heterosexual, and are in some capacity in control over the world
they navigate.

The only time a character of ethnic background is employed
within these texts it is within a marginalized capacity, this narrowing of
diversity in all aspects of sexuality, gender, and ethnicity limit the accessibility
to audience ratio. This becomes a major setback for students who are already
struggling with reading because the lack of identification, and in most cases
students of any minority will see the literature as a means of pointing out
their own marginalization in society

In order to overcome this there must be a
compromise within the world of literature. Teachers must recognize that to
engage students in literature that have no commonality factors they must first
sow the seed of the love of literature by using texts that individuals can
connect with. The foundation must be built before buildings can rise and it is
the same with the world of literacy. Once adolescents have been shown that
there is diversity within literature and given the tools to engage orally and
visually with the physical text then the classics used in traditional education
will become accessible because students will be able to look at such pieces and
see connections of themes and patterns.

International Medical Council on Vaccination a blog that talks about the benefit of vaccines and and how they work. They have articles about many vaccines and how it was developed. They also have doctor or physicians talk about vaccines. There are many complains on how vaccines slows the growth of a child and how they get sick after a vaccine. According to C.G a commenter "My son has been fully vaccinated until 18 months…now he is having major
speech delays. I, of course, regret this & am greatly worried..."(1). There are many factors that play into a delay speech in a toddler. And she didn't gave enough information as to what environment her son lives in. Now parents look for many ways to blame the vaccines and manufactures for anything that happens to there child. Maybe it's an emotional problem. Yes, kids do have emotions.

Many people are skeptical about vaccines and that's OK because many fear what they don't understand, it's human nature. However, in Africa Special west Africa we are offered free vaccines from polio to Hepatitis. Most parents encourage us to go and get it at a certain age because polio has done some brutal killings from a few decades ago. So we take them, I have at least been to any free vaccines every year since the age of 11 because I didn't have luxury to think about what the protestors against those vaccines were talking about. I have also lost a friend to Tetanus in the year of 2000 because his parents were against any modern medicines. The fact that parents don't know the dangers their kids live in now is frustrating. We probably have more virus and bacterial today than we did a few year ago and that's something to consider. Just because your parents didn't get vaccinated and are still healthy is the solution to every problem. We have different immune system and I'm sure many know but they don't know what it means. With new bacterial comes an antibiotic, with a new virus comes a cure or way to get a cure. And this site is there to educate people about it. When you do your research you know what is right and wrong.

I have learned many things from this site and I hope people read about vaccines and get vaccinated. This blog talks about all kinds of problem that comes with vaccinating
(if any at all) and living without vaccines in children or adults. They encourage vaccination and the benefit of it.

Words That Change Minds Can Change LivesIt is very hard to understand the mind of someone who does not like to discuss their thoughts. I have had an incredibly difficult time throughout my entire life articulating my true feelings. My voice shakes, my palms sweat, I can't ever seem to find the right words. And even when I do find the right words, once they are said, they vanish into thin air. Lending my thoughts and ideas to those who do not appreciate them is scary and unsettling. I cringe at the thought of my thoughts going undervalued. And so I write.Benita makes some very strong points -- words can change minds. We must not undervalue the impact our words can have on the minds that they reach. Whether it be textbooks, which are mostly known as boring and docile, the right words can change the tone and audience they reach. I have found great pleasure in reading textbooks that dig deeper than just information. Words in novels, the way they flow, the images they create in the minds of those who glaze over them with purpose. The malleability of words, our ability to relate words that were meant for someone or something else to ourselves. This is why I write, and this is why I encourage you to write.Write a note to someone you love, write words of encouragement to those going through a tough time, write down your favorite quote and put it on the wall. Use your imagination, take your ideas and put them down on a notepad. Do not undervalue what your mind can do, do not belittle the impact words can have.

The Tiny House blog was established to promote simplifying our very complicated lives in modern society. It does this by showcasing a way of life that involves VERY small living quarters. Its Facebook page describes it as:

"The Tiny House Blog is a place where you will learn about people living well in a small space and see many tiny houses..."

In the blog, we see various individuals and couples downsizing to VERY small spaces. Often, they are mobile trailers that are not more than a few feet by a few feet. Sometimes, they are on the water or set back in the woods.

The founder, Kent Griswold, wanted to showcase the simplicity of a small home or cabin. He posts daily, and after being established in 2007, his blog has grown tremendously. The Tiny House Blog now has a full staff, a magazine, and they even offer workshops - to learn how to build your own 'tiny house'.

One thing I really love is that a reader can peruse the various blog posts, and then in turn, purchase building plans to their own 'tiny house' from the blog site (the magic of PayPal sometimes). It's a call to action. If someone's interest was perked fro mthis website, and they then see that there are workshops on how to build a small home. And there are blueprints that take care of the 'what' to build. It makes The Tiny House Blog a total source for its movement - from start to finish.

Sunday, March 29, 2015

Do you suffer from Adultitis? I didn’t realize I was
suffering from it until I stumbled upon the Jason Kotecki’s blog Escape
Adulthood http://escapeadulthood.com/blog.

According to Kotecki’s people, Adultitis is “a common
condition occurring in people between the ages of 21–121, marked by chronic
dullness, mild depression, moderate to extremely high stress levels, a general
fear of change, and, in some extreme cases, the inability to smile.”

His mission statement and basis for his blog is to get rid
of Adultitis and viewing the world through the eyes of a child.

At first, I was
skeptical. Until I took the Adultitis quiz at http://adultitis.org. And while I giggled at my results, I
did stop and think for a second. Or a minute. Am I really enjoying life or am I
bogged down by stress and work? Am I missing the point of it all?

I started going through Kotecki’s blogs. They have a current
campaign

of #notarule in which you caption photographs with this hashtag. This
is an easy task in which you capture a moment where rule in life that is
keeping you from being awesome is broken. For example, one picture is a cat on
a twister board with the rule “Cats shall not play twister” and the hashtag
#notarule. My favorite so far is a picture of a bouquet of flowers in which the
rule “Thou shall not send thyself flowers” followed by the #notarule hashtag.
The sender even wrote herself a note. And yes, this seems almost silly but I
think Kotecki is on to something here. In today’s culture sending oneself
flowers seems like a ploy to make someone jealous or make co-workers think you
have a secret admirer. And as I write this, the feminist in me is like “Yeah,
why can’t I send myself some flowers?!?” This self-appreciation is overdue. His
approach is simplistic, yet gives a big gain to the individual who steps
outside their comfort zone.

Again, as I leafed through the blogs I wondered if this was
a family blog. And while you can’t deny that Kotecki is a family man, you can
search through his blogs to find that the topics range from family and food to
the workplace, and my favorite topic, small rebellions. These “rebellions” are
ways to change the world in which you live in. One was to pay it backward, ie
pay for the person behind you in the drive thru. Another rebellion was against
the winter blues.Or even fighting
the urge to be “realistic.” These all seemed like small, easy changes I could
do and thus, their appeal. I could change myself easily and thus impact the
world? Sign me up.

As I delved deeper into this blog, I realized this was more
than Kotecki and his family. Escape Adulthood has created a summit and community. As their
website states, it is “part conference, part retreat, part mastermind group,
it’s a one-of-a-kind event designed for people instilled with the soaring
spirit of childhood.”

This blog is going for a global change in the way adults
approach the world, through the eyes of childhood innocence, taking nothing for granted.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) maintains a blog called Blog of Rights, a news site/blog hybrid which harnesses the power of social media to get pertinent news stories about current events and rights violations to a broader audience. It is written by numerous authors and presents a variety of human rights issues such as workplace gender inequality, police body cameras, and privacy issues at stake with government drones - and thats just the first page! They have a vast collection which is able to be searched by topic, or by how popular or commented on the post is. By imbedding links to share these stories on different social media platforms, it makes involvement easier for the reader by reducing the amount of effort taken to participate. The prominence of the ACLU contributes to their Ethos, their articles are all very well researched as if they were news articles, which contributes to their Logos. Pathos is a little less prevalent because I think they aren't trying to fill it with sensational language, but especially in emotional topics pathos sneaks in.

The greatest motivational strategy for the AutismSpeaks Blogis
its location, a part of their highly recognized website. With April, Autism Awareness Month just days
away this blog captures the hearts of anyone who visits. Appealing to the readers emotions (pathos) Autism
Speaks joins the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, but
why? As they provide information on the
statistics of children with autism going missing and the needed awareness to
find them or to prevent the wandering, they have links throughout to provide
the reader with even more information.
This is their evidence, or logos.
In order to keep so many children safe Autism Speaks has created
organizations such as Project Lifesaver and Alliance of Guardian Angels. This provides credibility (ethos) as Autism
Speaks is not only appealing to the authority needed to make such projects
happen successfully but they have the community and people with autism in their
best interest and possess a great deal of knowledge about people directly and
indirectly affected by autism.

One scroll down this blog and there are two other
major events happening, an Autism Walk and Light It Up Blue. With every entry Autism Speaks successfully
apply quick and obvious links to show the reader how they can be involved at
any level they are comfortable with.
This includes an entry titled “Ten Ways to Reach Out to the AutismCommunity.”

Brian
Lucchesi writes the Wellnesshero blog. The particle blog I have linked you to
is about the importance of water. His arguments is that supporting clean
optimal water is vital to your health. His goal is to educate the human race
about the importance of keeping water unpolluted. The goal of this blog post is
to share, introduce, connect and stay connected in the name of clean water. His
call to action starts by asking his readers to meditate. He believes that if
she shares his actions (attempting to preserve the cleanliness of water and
sharing his world) that he will inspire others to do the same. He is using the
strategy of consensus. The strategy of consensus is the idea that people will
look to the behaviors of others to determine their own. If he can share his
ideas and actions with his bloggers he hopes that his readers will follow his
behavior.He then leaves a video
requesting support from members from the Rochester New York area to gather on
March 22, 2015 to celebrate world water day.

"I started the Syrian Revolution Digest to prevent the destruction and demise of my country, not to chronicle it."I really liked how forward Ammar Abdulhamid was in his blog postings. In the most recent one from June 2013, he wrote that his purpose was to keep the public informed on what was happening in Syria and also to inform and persuade European and American Leaders to help. "I hoped that their timely intervention would prevent the transformation of the peaceful protest movement into an armed insurrection paving the way to a civil war. I have obviously failed."Abdulhamid uses the strategies of logos and pathos. He appeals both logically and emotionally. He uses straight facts about the killings in Syria and presents what is really happening in the country. He also writes that he has the support of President Clinton but not President Obama and states that his pleas are being ignored by him.

Saturday, March 28, 2015

I had the good fortune in my graduate school days to take two classes with the estimable Professor Jeff Insko of Oakland University. In the years since my graduation, we have stayed in touch, and I have been to his house on at least two occasions for casual get-togethers with other OU faculty and alums.A few years ago, Jeff and his wife Katy threw a barbecue to, sadly, mark the end of their property as they knew it. This Detroit Free Press article explains: Jeff Insko, an Oakland County resident, writes a Line 6B Internetblog for affected property owners to share experiences and information. He said stories like the Gallaghers’ are similar among many of the 1,300 affected property owners along the Enbridge line in southern Michigan, which stretches from Griffith, Ind., to Sarnia, Ontario. Insko’shomein Oakland County’s Groveland Township was part of Enbridge’s Phase 1 of the Line 6B project last fall. The work to restore his property is not yet complete some nine months later, he said. “We’ve never objected to the replacement of Line 6B; it’s a 40-year-old pipe,” he said. “It’s how they’ve gone about replacing it. They have run roughshod over the state of Michigan.” Enbridge removed a grove of 105 trees on Insko’s land, including some very mature ones, he said. “The value of a 50-foot spruce tree ... to us it’s invaluable,” he said. “That’s why we bought the property.” Through the blog,homeowners have learned compensation levels have varied among similar parcels, leading to accusations of unfair and inconsistent treatment by Enbridge, Insko said.

See http://archive.freep.com/article/20130624/NEWS06/306240014/Kalamazoo-River-controversy-over-Enbridge-Line-6B-oil-pipeline for the article in its entirety.For a man who teaches the Transcendentalists with passion and gusto, it was impossible for Jeff to stand by and just passively accept the destruction of not only his land, but the land of his neighbors and hundreds, maybe thousands of homeowners stringing from Canada to Indiana. So on June 27, 2012, Jeff launched Line 6B Citizens' Blog with a sense of purpose and connection: "We hope this blog will provide a place for concerned residents to swap stories and share resources in the hopes of keeping Enbridge honest. Or, if nothing else, it can be a place to vent as we all watch large chunks of our property get torn apart."

Jeff has done the impossible; he has taken on a giant corporation, united homeowners across hundreds of miles between two countries, and mounted an all-out effort to hold Enbridge accountable for their work, their broken promises, and their lies. He's done dozens of interviews for local and national media outlets and has managed to continue teaching, researching, writing, traveling, and grading on top of his activism for this cause. He's also managed to get his dog, Samuel Jenkins, into the action:

The NWF post offers readers an opportunity to take action: "Enbridge is proposing to nearly double the amount of tar sands oil moving through the Alberta Clipper pipeline, increasing the risk and size of a spill that would put wood turtles and their waters in danger. Ask the State Department to say no to Enbridge’s tar sands expansion plans."Jeff has the kind of ethos as a well-respected OU professor that makes him believable, credible, approachable, and trustworthy. His meticulous research (his logos) is impeccable; he is as fussy about the details of his blog as he is about his published academic works. As far as pathos goes, it doesn't get more heartbreaking than Samuel Jenkins looking forlornly down a torn up trench in his own backyard. Jeff's neighbors - many of them elderly - tell similar sad tales in the forum he has set up for them. It is impossible not to be moved by the destruction of their homes and property.Jeff and Katy may not win against Enbridge, but they aren't going down without a fight.

Persuading people, despite useful tactics, is an art form. It requires practice and patience. It requires ingenuity and authority. For these reasons, blogs are a perfect platform for activists. They allow authors to explore his or her own ideas, thoughts, musings, opinions, etc, while still remaining credible and authoritative with the accessories of linking to credible sources to back up their ideas. In addition to linking to other sources, bloggers can implement into their posts pictures, graphs, charts, statistics and other media to back up their points, or act as persuasive techniques.

Duncan Green's blog, From Poverty to Powerexemplifies the above notions. Committed to raising conversation about global issues, the blog medium allows Green to reflect on his personal thoughts about global issues, while remaining authoritative by discussing current issues and including graphs, pictures and links to stories where these issues are already discussed. Through blogging about global issues, Green is able to remain authoritative while still being able to reflect upon his own questions and thoughts about what the world is experiencing.

Friday, March 27, 2015

These days, when finding time for ones-self is becoming increasingly difficult, blogger Rachel Lapchak sticks to three easy steps to remember: love, nourish, and preach.

Rachel runs the blog "Love-Nourish-Preach." Her goal is to encourage and inspire her readers to take charge of their lives and do what makes them happy. The blog consists of inspirational and motivational topics based on Rachel's life experiences, easy-to-follow healthy food recipes for any type of meal, and constant reminders to stay positive and happy.
Rachel's advice is always simple: 1) Love yourself, 2) Nourish yourself with healthy, yet good tasting foods, and 3) Preach positivity to yourself and those around you.

Some motivational strategies that Rachel uses are meaningful quotes, challenges to stay healthy and positive, and life anecdotes that allow her readers to connect with her on a real-life basis. She really emphasis the simplicity of her recipes and the long-term benefits that they hold. She makes the blog fun and often interacts with her readers-- furthering her motivational reach to beyond just blog posts.

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Many of us are distracted by the ups and downs of everyday life and often wonder what we could be doing to make our lives better. We often put tons of pressure on ourselves trying to perfect all that we do. Sometimes even without aiming to do so, we drive ourselves crazy pointing out our personal flaws. These same negative influences that we create and bring upon ourselves, can cause us to lose sight of the beauty that is before us as well as force us to want more, when we should be thankful for things we have.

Elle Sommer uses her blog as a means to inspire and reach people all over and share her thoughts and testimonies as to how she lives a happier life. Her blogs are inspiring and forces one to take a look into their own life and bring about a change within, that can in return change your circumstance. Some of the motivational strategies Elle Sommer uses include:

Sincerity, the way she connects to her readers allows for you to understand the point she is aiming to get across.

Citing, in every post she quotes something inspirational, that sets you up for what she about to reflect on.

Wisdom, she speaks as if she has live a long time, made mistakes and has learn from them.

Images, every post includes an image of the overall concept of her post.

"Live Purposefully Now" inspires one to take action in their personally lives as a means to gaining hope, self-confidence, wisdom and a fearless mindset to obtain what you want. Elle Sommer pushes you to believe in yourself again and not fall into depression or live with an "I can't" mentality. The above link will take you to her post, hopes it inspires you.

There is a blog for Microsoft referring to scammers. This is an important topic because technology is such a big deal and everyone uses it. Microsoft is informing technology users to be careful and tips/hints on how you know a scammer is trying to influence you and ways to avoid getting scammed. The company is actually taking action themselves against scammers and protecting their on customers. Also, they are persuading users not to fall for false advertisements from the scammers that leads to viruses on your computer. Scamming has been going on for years but it is becoming more rapid. The use of social media is constantly increasing and it is allowing scammers to gather even more personal data. There are services they have if you have been a victim of being scammed and they provide actions you can take to stop it from happening again in the future.

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

On her blog Wait...What?, Lindra Raftree writes to bridge the gap between community development and technology. She blogs about gender, race, ethics, and how technology is interwoven in these areas. Raftree's scope is not just limited to these topics in the United States; she often blogs about issues in other countries as well. It is interesting to see how these areas intersect and how technology can help improve them.

The posts on Wait...What? are lengthy and detailed; the reader can tell Raftree has done her research. By including quantified data in her posts, Raftree builds her credibility and therefore exhibits ethos. On her About page, she lists the various causes she is interested in and dedicated to. This adds to the pathos of the blog and its author. In her most recent post, Raftree writes about the "myths of girls' empowerment and mobile learning." The use of pathos in this example is when she lists the myths and adds a "Things to Consider" section underneath each one. This pulls the reader in to think critically about the myths about these topics and try to get rid of any preconceived notions.

Some other strategies Raftree uses to engage readers are:

Lists. Readers love a good list; however, she doesn't just quickly list items and move on to the next point. Each bullet point is a solid idea (often a full sentence) and Raftree discusses them at length.

Images. Without these, Raftree's posts would be enormous blocks of text. Breaking the text up with images makes her blog much more reader-friendly.

By the title it is easy to see what this website is about. Amanda and Kate (the main writers) are both highly qualified individuals who write about a variety of injustices in the world. There is a heavy focus on American Foreign Policy and topics with the turbulent Middle East. What makes this website different however is its easy digestibility for the layman reader. Kate and Amanda have a level of snark that lends perfectly to their arguments..don't believe me just check out their FAQ page and be prepared to cackle.

As for motivational strategies they employ a variety as vast as their topics. Obviously both Amanda and Kate have the authority to speak on such topics because of their experience as human rights attorneys, as well as their degrees in political science and conflict development. These ladies aren't just teen social activists throwing their new found superiority around. They also are not bland which one would think they would be because of their experience, instead they position themselves with the rest of us sarcastic Daria-esque humans and make the reader comfortable. Also within each blog post they provide links to the specific arguments they are making or the issues that are going on in the world so you don't have to take their word for it that these things are in fact happening.

These writers are also very clear about the fact that these are their opinions and are upfront about their often offbeat humor. So join the fight!